I Was Fired
Toward the end of the summer I was given the job of long term subbing for a teacher out on maternity leave. I was really excited for the opportunity even though the school isn't so great. However, on only my second day the principal came in to observe. I didn't think it went so badly. On the day of my 4th day the principal asked me if I would be there after school. "Of course" I said. She finally came in and told me she had "concerns." I did not meet the "positive to correctiveness ratio of 4:1 meaning I was more corrective than positive (though I was never mean or negative when I was corrective). I also only had 12 of 16 kids engaged. She said she found somebody better suited to take the job. I asked does that mean I won't come back tomorrow and she just responded with "that's right."
Now at the time all I felt was sadness. I thought I had did a great job for it to only have been a week, I've got them to where they needed to be on time every day, their grades were improving, I was always prepped for the next day. I was never given a warning or even a chance to fix what she apparently witnessed. Later, I started thinking into it a little more. 1) She didn't observe any of the other 3 long term subs in depth (they told me). 2) She never asked any of the other 3rd grade teachers how I was doing outside of the time she observed me. 3) She never told the teacher I was subbing for that she was replacing me (important because now somebody that knows nothing about her classroom is taking over--- I worked with her a few weeks before she left). 4) It was so random and only a few days on my own before deciding to get rid of me. I'm still not quite sure why it happened though plenty of people in this small town have told me it's probably the "good ole boy system." I had to ask for a definition of that one because I had never heard it. Apparently she knew somebody who asked for a job then asked what grade she preferred. I'm so mad because I have a child to take care of. Ugh.
Now at the time all I felt was sadness. I thought I had did a great job for it to only have been a week, I've got them to where they needed to be on time every day, their grades were improving, I was always prepped for the next day. I was never given a warning or even a chance to fix what she apparently witnessed. Later, I started thinking into it a little more. 1) She didn't observe any of the other 3 long term subs in depth (they told me). 2) She never asked any of the other 3rd grade teachers how I was doing outside of the time she observed me. 3) She never told the teacher I was subbing for that she was replacing me (important because now somebody that knows nothing about her classroom is taking over--- I worked with her a few weeks before she left). 4) It was so random and only a few days on my own before deciding to get rid of me. I'm still not quite sure why it happened though plenty of people in this small town have told me it's probably the "good ole boy system." I had to ask for a definition of that one because I had never heard it. Apparently she knew somebody who asked for a job then asked what grade she preferred. I'm so mad because I have a child to take care of. Ugh.
